Gauff & Medvedev Shine as Australian Open Heats Up; Wawrinka Bids Farewell

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Coco Gauff, the 21-year-old American tennis star, overcame familiar struggles on serve to defeat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 6-3 in their first-round match at the Australian Open. Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion, has never advanced past the semifinals at Melbourne Park. Gauff's serve has been a point of contention, with 431 double faults on the WTA Tour last year, the highest among players. However, she found her footing in the second set, limiting her double faults to just one. Gauff will face left-handed Olga Danilovic in the second round, who defeated Venus Williams in a first-round match on Sunday. Danilovic is a skilled player who has beaten top-ranked opponents, making the match against Gauff a challenging one. In other news, Daniil Medvedev continued his winning streak in Australia with a 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (2) victory over Jesper de Jong. Medvedev, who won the Brisbane title, will be a force to be reckoned with at the Australian Open. Stan Wawrinka, bidding farewell to the elite tour, kicked off his final season with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) win over Laslo Djere. The 2014 champion remains passionate about the game and is thrilled to have the opportunity to compete in one more Australian Open. Other notable winners include No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, No. 6 Jessica Pegula, and No. 14 Clara Tauson. Meanwhile, Sofia Kenin's poor recent run at the Australian Open continued with a loss to Peyton Stearns, and No. 15 Emma Navarro fell to Magda Linette in three sets. The tournament has also seen some unexpected retirements due to cramping, including No. 7 Felix Auger-Aliassime and Canadian qualifier Marina Stakusic. Priscilla Hon secured her first trip to the second round of her home major in six years, while No. 19 seed Tommy Paul, Reilly Opelka, and No. 13 Andrey Rublev advanced to the next round.